Phil Penman, a British-born photographer based in New York, is a former winner of the Leica Fotograﬁe international Picture Prize. His book Street was published by Glitterati Editions in August 2019. (August 2019)

NYR DAILY

The life of a “celebrity photographer”—otherwise known as paparazzi—entails little glamour. More often than not, I was standing not on the red carpet behind a velvet rope but on the streets of New York, hiding behind a trash can in 20-degree weather, hoping for that decisive moment. The paparazzi always get a bad rap, from hiding behind trash to being called “trash.” But being on the street all day, you get a real feel for the city. In time, I found myself drawn to street photography.